The Marshall Islands has been recorded as the first country in history to implement a nationwide unconditional basic income. According to The Guardian, all citizens of the archipelago will now receive $200 every quarter. This amounts to $800 annually and aims to support the broadest segments of the population.
A notable feature of the program is that citizens have the freedom to choose how they receive the payments. They can opt for the funds to be transferred to a bank account, received via paper check, or obtained in the form of cryptocurrency. According to local government data, the first payments have already been distributed to the population.
Statistics reveal that nearly 60% of the payments have been directly transferred to bank accounts. The rest were received by citizens in the form of checks. As for the cryptocurrency option, it has so far been chosen by only a very small number of people — just 12 individuals.
The Finance Minister of the Marshall Islands, David Paul, emphasized that the program is not intended to discourage citizens from employment but rather to ensure social stability and moral support. “An $800 annual income will not make a person wealthy, but it helps ensure no one feels neglected,” he said.
The basic unconditional income program is financed through a special fund established under an agreement with the United States. This agreement also includes provisions for compensation payments related to nuclear tests conducted on the Marshall Islands during the last century. Currently, the fund manages assets exceeding $1.3 billion, with an additional $500 million expected to be allocated by 2027.
For context, the Marshall Islands is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, comprising 29 coral atolls, five large islands, and over 1,000 smaller islands. The nation has a population of approximately 40,000 people, about half of whom reside in the capital, Majuro.
Previously, pilot projects on unconditional basic income were conducted in nations such as the United States, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, and India. However, these initiatives were confined to specific cities or small regions. The Marshall Islands, by implementing this concept on a national scale, has attracted global attention as a pioneer in this area.
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